The Abomination
by xXJenniChanXx
Summary: This will be a series told from the perspective of Alloran-Semitur-Corrass and, later on, his family. Starting before the events that took place on Earth. Some short stories from his life as the host of Esplin 9466.
1. Chapter 1

My eyes flickered open. I was still dazed. For a moment I had no recollection of what happened. I tried to stand but found that I could not. I was not alarmed by it, not yet. My eyes scanned the ship... my ship, _The Jahar_. The memories flooded back.

The Time Matrix, the Taxxon Home world, Elfangor.

I was suddenly filled with rage. I remembered ordering Elfangor to destroy the Yeerks, but he wouldn't. It wasn't 'honorable'. Coward! And then the alien- the male- attacked me, distracted me, long enough for the Aristh to render me unconscious.

That sniveling Aristh! He'd attacked me! His commanding officer! How _dare_ he? I tried to look around my ship, tried to look for the traitor. I'd kill that pathetic fool for his insubordination!

But I couldn't. I couldn't move my stalk eyes.

And yet, they were moving, as if on their own.

I began to realize it then, what had just transpired, the horror of that truth churned inside me.

No. It was impossible. It couldn't be!

In desperation, I tried to stand, to move my tail, I tried to move my eyes.

But I couldn't.

{Incredible...}

A voice. A voice in my head.

NO! I tried to scream, but I couldn't! I couldn't do anything!

My eyes scanned the room, saw the two aliens, saw in every direction at once. My hands lifted and clenched. My tail whipped up, over my head.

But I hadn't done any of it.

{Awake at last? Alloran-Semitur-Corrass? A little late, I think.}

No!

My mind raced. This couldn't be happening!

{You shouldn't deny reality Alloran. It isn't healthy.} The voice mocked.

There had to be something, anything I could do. There had to be!

It laughed. {There's nothing. Understand that, Andalite. There's nothing you can do! You're mine. Your body is mine! The first Andalite Controller!}

No...!

{Oh, yes. I am _Esplin_ 9466. Remember the name, Alloran, I think the two of us will be together for quite some time.}

He was right. That had only been the beginning... the beginning of a new life of slavery and indignity.

A life as the Abomination.


	2. Chapter 2

I was alive.

Unfortunately.

I had escaped the strange world created by the Time Matrix and survived. I'm still not sure how or why.

But that hardly mattered at that moment.

He was about to leave me. It was finally time for the disgusting thing inside my head to feed. This was my chance. As soon as he was out, as soon as he was gone, as soon as my body was my own once more, I would slit my own throat. I would not be taken a second time!

{Don't delude yourself, Andalite.} The Yeerk hissed. {I've made sure you will be well taken care of until I return.}

I ignored him, preparing myself.

We were headed for the Yeerk Pool. Several Hork-Bajir controllers following behind us. They looked at me - at us, at my body - with a mix of awe, hatred, and fear. And he reveled in it.

Enjoy it while you can, Yeerk.

My thoughts went to Jahar, my wife... had she heard of what had happened to me? I remembered the last time I'd seen her. She had seen me off those several months ago. I had only just heard of our second child being born a few days ago, before going after the Time Matrix.

I should have gone home. I should have gone straight back to the home world. But when I'd realized that the Skrit Na had the fabled Time Matrix, I was seduced by my own great fantasies. If I retrieved the Time Matrix, brought it back to my people, I would no longer be Alloran, the disgraced. Alloran, the butcher of the Hork-Bajir. I could be a real Prince again. I would finally regain the respect I'd lost on that backwater planet.

I should have ignored it, should have given the mission to someone else. I should have gone home.

I thought of Jahar, living the rest of her life and raising our two children alone... my wife living without her husband, my children without their father. It broke my hearts to think I would never see them again...

{Perhaps you will see them again, someday, when we take the Andalite home world.}

{You will never take the home world, you vermin!} I snapped. The idea was terrifying. Yes, I admit, it terrified me. But my greatest fears were for my family.

I would die before I'd let them suffer this.

I wouldn't wish this living death on anyone.

But it would be over soon.

{You would like that, wouldn't you, Andalite?}

The Visser motioned to the others. That's when I saw a Hork-Bajir approaching... with some kind of harness. Several different restraints were brought to me.

My mind raced. What were they doing?

The harness went around my tail. It pulled it down, holding it in place, a good distance away from my body. The Yeerk gave several strong tugs on it to make sure it was secure. When he was satisfied, they bound my legs, my arms. They forced me to kneel down, my head brought down towards the putrid sludge of the pool.

They injected me with something, and almost immediately I felt myself losing focus. There was a strange haze in my mind, I couldn't concentrate!

{Enjoy your freedom, Alloran. What few precious hours you have.}

I wasn't sure when he was gone. I wasn't sure how long I had been standing there. The realization that I could move came suddenly. I could move! I could MOVE! How long had it been? How much time did I have left?

I began to thrash around, desperately trying to break my bonds. My tail! I needed my tail! I tried, but my body was so heavy, I could barely hold my head up. I screamed in rage. I saw the controllers around me. They held their Dracon beams, ready to fire on me.

The fear on their faces quickly turned to sneers. Their whispers turned to laughter and jeers.

"How does it feel, Andalite?"

"Who's worthless now, scum?"

"Scream! Go ahead and scream!"

"Look at the mighty Andalite squirm!"

I had to ignore them! My time was already running out! I needed my tail!

I pulled and pushed. I thrashed around widely. Panic was setting in.

I couldn't be taken, not again! Not again!

Break! Break! Break!

The idea suddenly came to my dizzy, panicked mind; Morph! I could morph out of my restraints!

I tried to think of the Kafit bird from my home. I tried to picture it in my mind, but it was too clouded by the drugs, I was too distracted by the cries of the controllers.

No! Please! It can't happen again! Not that! Not again!

{No! Please! Please!}

"Listen to him! Beg, Andalite! Beg!"

Had I said that out loud? I couldn't think straight anymore. For that time, all I knew was despair and rage.

Suddenly, one of the Hork Bajir took my head into his hands. My mind raced; So soon? No!

{NO!}

The Controller forced my head down, down to the pool. I tried to fight, to pull away, but I was weak.

I am weak.

To my horror, I felt it, I felt the Yeerk touch my ear. I screamed as he crawled into my ear, deeper, deeper into my head. The last time I was unconscious when it happened, the last time I couldn't feel it...

And my body slumped. I was still struggling, but was no use...

NO! NO! NO!

{Did you miss me, Alloran?}


	3. Chapter 3

I am a Warrior. I always have been. Though I was born in a much simpler time.

When I was born, there was no war. The greatest enemy the Andalites had were the Kelbrid, whom we had a long standing treaty with. Back then a Warrior or a Prince needed only to fight. To be strong and cunning. To defeat any enemies that may have come to threaten our people.

In these much darker times, however, the Andalite military desired a different type of soldier.

Soldiers these days were taught to be great thinkers. Soldiers these days were meant to be seen as benevolent and honorable. They were meant to be scientists as well as soldiers.

But I had learned very early on that honor and war were not able to coexist.

I was not interested in showing mercy or benevolence to my enemies. In war it was kill or be killed. Anyone who believed otherwise was either an infant or a fool.

And yet, there I stood, in the Blade Ship, still alive.

And yet, I might as well have been dead.

All I could do was watch.

The Yeerks were scouting some planet, looking for more hosts. We had received intelligence on their movements and had been planning to ambush their forces... I would not have been allowed into the battle, because of my disgrace, and hadn't thought much of it back when I'd heard the initial reports...

But the Yeerk found the information very useful.

They allowed the Andalite forces to surround a few of the Yeerks Bug Fighters, allowing my people to believe that they had overpowered and captured them. Then, they struck with alarming speed and ruthlessness. The Andalite ships were outnumbered, overpowered, taken or destroyed. All but one ship.

"Should we pursue it, Visser Thirty-Two?"

He seemed to contemplate it for a moment. {Yes. Shoot out one of their engines, but do not destroy the ship.}

The pilot of the fighter was excellent, but he could not outrun the Blade Ship. Within moments one of the fighters engines was destroyed. Their ship slowed to a crawl. They would never escape.

{Open communications.} The Visser ordered.

I couldn't understand, what was he doing? Why not kill them? Or try to take them as controllers?

Soon the all too familiar image appeared on the screens. The interior of an Andalite fighter and a young warrior who controlled it.

I saw the look of anger and defiance, but in moments it changed. Confusion, disbelief, horror. He was looking at me.

{This is your lucky day Andalite.} The Visser sneered. {You will survive to fight another day.}

I realized the truth. This was a message. He wanted my people to know what he had done.

He was showing off his prize. His great conquest.

{You will return to your leaders and you will tell them what happened here today. Tell them this is only the beginning of the end, the first of many defeats to come.}

The soldier shook in terrified rage. {War Prince Alloran?}

The Visser smiled. {That's right Andalite. I am Visser Thirty-Two and my host is none other then War-Prince Alloran-Semitur-Corrass. He is the first of many Andalites who will become slaves of the Yeerk Empire! Now, go. Go and tell your people what you saw.}

The transmission ended and the fighter was allowed to run.

"We have two remaining Andalite Ships that survived the battle. We're boarding them now." One of the Hork Bajir controllers reported.

{Let's go meet our Andalite friends in person, shall we?} The Visser asked, rhetorically.

{Don't you have better things to do?} I mocked, feeling sick. Knowing that every death today... every death was my fault...

{I've always preferred a more hands on approach...} He laughed, which only sickened me more. {My, my, Alloran, I do think this is the first time we've spoken without you screaming obscenities at my expense. I think we're making progress! Are you finally starting to accept reality?}

{I will never accept you!} I screamed, silently. {You can't hold me forever!} Part of me actually still believed it.

{We'll see, slave.}

The Visser came to the two ships. Inside the first one we found an Andalite Warrior... dead...

He had taken his own life.

I felt the Visser sigh slightly. {How annoying, an unfortunate little habit your people have.} Despite this, he surprisingly didn't seem to mind that the Andalite was dead and beyond their reach.

The next ship was opened to reveal another Andalite... only this one was still alive!

He was young. Barely passed adolescence. He was probably only just made a Warrior. He must not have had the nerve to slit his own throat... He held a shredder, his entire body trembling as the ship was surrounded by armed Hork Bajir controllers.

His eyes fell onto me. I saw hope rise in them, replaced by despair in an instant. {No!} He whispered.

{Come out little Warrior.} The Visser called to him. {Do so willingly and you may live.}

He was too terrified to speak, but clutched onto the shredder.

One of the Hork Bajir began to enter the ship- the boy jerked and shot him! The upper body of the Hork Bajir was atomized, the rest fell to the floor. Almost immediately, the others went to storm in-

{WAIT!} The Visser ordered.

His troops backed away as the Visser stepped forward, he took a Dracon Beam from one of his subordinates, then pointed it at the boy.

I tried to pull away. {No!}

The Visser ignored my struggling. {Come out, or die.} He repeated.

The boy did not move. He pointed the shredder at me, but did not fire! Why? Why did he hesitate? Why not shoot me and put me out of this misery? Because I was an Andalite? Because he couldn't bring himself to kill one of his own? His eyes scanned the room for something, anything he could do.

{Shoot me!} My mind screamed, desperate to break through. I tried to move my hand. I tried to use my tail. Anything, I tried to do anything! I had to fight him! I had to break free! He was just a boy! I wouldn't do this! I couldn't!

{Please...!} I heard him beg. I didn't know to whom. To the Visser for mercy, to me for some miracle, or to some god that might here his soft cries and rescue him.

{Times up.} The Visser announced coldly.

{You can't do this!} I screamed. {You-}

The Visser fired the Dracon Beam.

A flash of light from the discharge, a sizzle of burnt flesh. What was left of the boys body fell to the floor of the ship. Lifeless... never to rise again.

I stared in horror at the boy whose life I had taken. A child. One of my own people!

But the Visser merely sneered at the corpse. {Feed what's left to the Taxxons.} He ordered. {I'm sure they would enjoy Andalite meat.}

My eyes were pulled away from the scene. The Visser added silently. {It may seem selfish, but I'd like to remain the only Yeerk with an Andalite host for a while longer.}

{You're sick... you're disgusting!} I finally managed to say.

{Why are you so shocked? This is war, Alloran. Why show mercy or benevolence to our enemies? In war it's kill or be killed. Anyone who believes otherwise is either an infant... or a fool.}

As he left the bodies of the dead soldiers behind I was horrified. By the death, the cruelty... and my thoughts. My own thoughts that the Yeerk brought back to haunt me.


	4. Chapter 4

Andalites are a watchful race.

Long ago when when our ancestors traveled in large groups together we would stay wary of predators, and even to this day sleep does not come to Andalites, myself included. Usually an Andalite will sleep for a few hours every other day, though it is entirely possible for us to sleep more often, or less depending on the individual or even the levels of stress.

Now was no exception.

The circumstances did little to help the situation.

I was exhausted. Mentally and physically, but I could not sleep. Nor did I want to, not with that thing still in my head.

{It is partially my fault.} It's voice cut into my thoughts. {I've been quite busy this past week.}

A week. Had it really only been a week since this nightmare began?

{Technically, it's been five days.} It corrected.

{Don't speak to me as if we are equals!} I spat.

{Oh, believe me, I know we aren't equals. One of us is clearly superior. It's just taking you a while to fully realize it.}

His tone was not lost on me even as I struggled to stay awake. {You think you're better then me, Yeerk? Without a host you're nothing!}

{That may be true, but I have a host, don't I?} He sneered.

If I hadn't been so tired, I would have argued.

The Visser had been given his own private quarters on the Blade ship and that was where we were now.

To anyone I might have looked like I was asleep. I stood, seemingly, completely relaxed with only one of my stalk eyes opened. The Visser had decided that my body needed sleep. But while he could force my body through the motions, he couldn't make my mind rest.

But after days of silent rage, days of screaming and fighting for control... and the Yeerk never seemed to tire. It was still going strong, while I flailed fruitlessly against his control. And, yes, the Yeerks control was absolute... but there must be a way to escape. Sooner or later the Yeerk would slip and I would be ready ... must be...

I would not sleep.

{Your stubbornness is truly astounding.} The Yeerk marveled. {Your stupidity even more so.}

{Be quiet.} It was all I could muster as a response.

{You think denying yourself sleep will somehow prove you are not my slave. You think that sleep is an admittance of defeat.} He laughed. {Is this what the _great_ Alloran is reduced to? How incredibly pathetic.}

{Not nearly as pathetic as a parasite.}

{Regardless, sooner or later, you must sleep, and when you wake up? You'll still be here.} I could feel the smug pleasure coming from him. {And so will I.}

Once again, my mind raced. Hoping for some way to deny it, to escape it.

But there was none.

{At least you're not a complete fool.}

I barely registered the insult.

I realized my mind was slipping. I tried to distract myself with something... anything...

Jahar...

No! I couldn't let myself think of her... not with him prying on every thought.

It was unbelievable. I was afraid of my own thoughts!

{Trying to hide her from me are we?}

No...

{I think this is an opportunity to teach you something.}

No!

I felt him opening my mind, he dove inside. I could keep nothing from his scrutiny.

And with such vivid detail that it was almost as if I was experiencing them for the first time, the memories came flooding back.

_I am home at last. The familiar skies stretch out above me. I smell the wind, the familiar grass and flowers of my home world._

_My beautiful Jahar. She reaches out to me and places her warm, gentle hand on my face. I do the same for her, a kiss. We embrace one another. {Welcome back.}_

_I am so happy to be with her now, but my mind and hearts are raw from the events I witnessed as well as my own actions. I am not the same Alloran who left her to fight in battle what seems a lifetime ago. I expect her to ask about what happened. I dread trying to explain my actions to her... No doubt she has heard of my disgrace..._

_But she does not. She simply takes my hand in hers, though her eyes betray a hint of sadness for me. Pity. But she doesn't judge me, whether she knows what I have done or not... {Let's go home.}_

{How touching.}

I was still swimming from the emotions brought on by holding my wife under the open sky after long months of battle on a far away planet. Then the crushing blow of sorrow. It was just a memory.

{You're weak.}

My mind was going blank...

No...! I would never accept this! I was not weak!

{Yes you are, though you don't know it yet. But I'll show you. We have plenty of time after all.}

Ignore him. I needed to focus, I needed to stay awake...

_{Alloran-Semitur-Corrass. You are aware of the charges against you?}_

_I close my stalk eyes holding back my frustration... {Yes.}_

_{Then you admit that you created a Quantum Virus on Sector 5, RG-21578-4 with the intent of using it to wipe out the population of the planet?}_

_They already know the answer. My fate has already been decided. {Yes..}_

_The members of the Electorate murmur to one another, they look at me with contempt and moral superiority._

_{You've disgraced us Alloran, disgraced yourself. If a lesser officer had committed your crimes they would receive a life sentence.}_

_A life sentence. A lifetime in a cage. The thought of spending the rest of my life trapped, suffocated, causes me to flinch. It only lasts a moment._

_{However... considering your accomplishments, as well as your years of service... we will allow you amnesty.}_

_I almost give a bitter laugh, but I hold it in. No, I wont go to prison, but I will never be the great soldier I was. I have already seen the looks of the others. They stared at me, no longer with respect, but with mockery. They know I did something 'wrong'. I am disgraced. A Prince in name only..._

_I hate them. I despise these hypocrites. They weren't there, they didn't see the bloodshed. I did. I had to fight on that backwater planet. Out numbered, overpowered, and every day the bodies piled up on one another. My men. My soldiers! Good men, many of whom I knew. They put their faith in me and died fighting under my orders. And these incompetent dolts thought they could judge me? They didn't have to bury the dead. They didn't have to see the battle fields soaked in blood. _

_What else could I have done? What else was there? I tried to save the Hork Bajir! We fought and died trying! And these fools thought they could pass judgment on me?! Them!? Most of whom have never even held a shredder?! Most of whom had never seen battle even once in their pathetic lives?_

_It was a lost cause! It was war! What else could I have done!?_

_I want to scream at them. I want to scream. But I do not. I accept their judgment... despite the bitterness that grows with every second._

_The ones who used to revere me, the ones who used to call me a hero... I have already heard what they call me now..._

_Alloran; the Butcher of the Hork Bajir._

_Alloran the disgraced._

_It shouldn't bother me. They were all fools. Their words should not bother me._

_But they do._

{What do you think they'll call you now?}

I hadn't even recognized that I was experiencing my memories again. They assault me. Overwhelming.

Exhausting...

That question haunted me in my dreams. Along with the face of the young Andalite Warrior I had murdered, willingly or not, with my own two hands.

What would they call me now?


	5. Chapter 5

I felt the Visser digging through my mind again, unable to stop him.

{Is that it?} He asked, with a note of disappointment.

{What are you talking about?} I snapped.

{A Kafit bird, a Taxxon, a Hork Bajir...} He paused. {Are these really all the morphs you have?}

Ah, he was talking about the morphing technology.

It had been quite a few years since morphing technology had become an integral part of the Andalite military. Though I rarely ever used it. Mostly it was for spying or infiltration, both of which I was never called upon to do. And, honestly, I'd never seen much point in it. Granted, it had it's uses, but it seemed fairly pointless to me.

{I am shocked by your lack of vision.} The Yeerk commented. {No, no, no... we'll have to do something about this...}

{What does it matter to you?} I questioned.

{You can't be serious. What's the point in having this technology if you don't use it?}

The shuttle we were in shook as it entered the atmosphere. In a minute we would be landing.

I scoffed. {You'll never infiltrate our forces through morphing.}

{As a matter of fact, I had something far more... direct in mind. Perhaps after this we'll make a stop at one of the Skrit Na zoos.} The Yeerk mused. {They have a habit of taking things that don't belong to them, perhaps I'll find something useful.}

{A trait you share in common.} I pointed out.

He sneered. {Was that an attempt at humor Alloran?}

{Not at all. Just pointing out the obvious, you disgusting parasite.}

The shuttle landed and the doors opened and the Visser's personal guard ran out ahead of us securing the area.

The Visser stepped out of the shuttle and, despite myself, I felt a surge of relief.

Sky, open sky. After days upon days on that disgusting ship. It was like a weight that had been smothering me had been lifted. Under my hooves were not cold metal, but soft grass. It was a strange dark green color and was tall, it reached passed my hooves. It was alien to me, but it was grass and soft earth.

{Keep a perimeter.} The Visser ordered, clearly distracted.

Then we began to run.

He took off, full speed, running over the grass. He turned my eyes in all directions, leaping over the hills and dips in the uneven ground. A steady burn began to grow in my legs. If felt good. After days of being so confined, even if it wasn't me in control, it felt good to stretch my legs and be in the open air.

I felt joy...

Then I realized it wasn't mine. It was his.

I could feel the Yeerks joy.

He swung my tail and sliced the tall grass, enjoying it's speed and deadly accuracy. There was a genuine awe and happiness radiating from the Yeerk, it totally caught me off guard. He ground my hooves in the grass, tasting it. It was very different from the grass of my home world... but it was leagues beyond the liquified grass that I had been forced to eat these past nightmarish days.

The Yeerk said nothing. Not any of his usual mocking condescension. He just basked in my senses, my sight, my strength and speed. My body.

{It was your body... but not any more.}

Rage. Impotent rage. {Just because you managed to catch me off guard does not make my body _yours_!} I snapped. {And someday; I'll kill you for what you've done to me.}

{Keep telling yourself that. Let's see if it becomes any more true the deeper you delve into denial.}

For the first time, the thought occurred to me. The idea terrified me, it made me sick...

What if he was right?

What if this was going to be the rest of my life?

I pushed the thought away. No! That was not going to happen! I was an Andalite! A War-Prince! Disgraced or not, I still had my honor and my duty. It was only a matter of time before they made a mistake and I would finally be free...

And with any luck, I would take the Yeerk down with me.

One of the Hork Bajir controllers approached us. "Visser, I received orders from the council. They want you to head an attack on an Andalite fleet."

He sighed in... disappointment? {Very well.}

We headed back to the shuttle.

I felt a shot of panic and nausea. Back to that ship, back to being smothered and chained.

{Claustrophobia.} The Yeerk commented. {An interesting reaction. A genetic fear you Andalites developed over years of evolution.}

{I know that.} I was ashamed by my weakness. I hated knowing that he could see my fear.

{We will have to return here.} He said out loud, almost wistfully to no one in particular. {The fresh grass and exercise will be necessary to keeping my host body healthy.}

We stepped back into the shuttle, and returned to the Blade Ship.


	6. Chapter 6

When I was young, I imagined war to be glorious.

We were not at war then, but I longed for battle. I imagined fighting dangerous and evil enemies and overcoming all obstacles in my path. I imagined myself becoming a great Prince and leading my people into battle, and at the beginning or the Yeerk/Andalite war, I did. I rose through the ranks and fought many battles...

Some worse then others.

I was in battle again. Only on the other side of the conflict.

Several Bug Fighters swarmed on a dome ship. I could see the flashes of shredders and dracon beams firing at one another in the silent vacuum of space. The Andalite fighters returned fire, trying to defend the dome.

{Hold your positions.} The Visser ordered. {And prepare to fire.}

I saw the dome ship split, it separated into two parts. I was far away, but I could just barely hear the shouts of my fellow Andalites as the fights raged on. I heard their orders to one another, their cries of pain and victory.

{Open fire.}

The Blade ship charged, it fired, and the dome of the ship was shattered.

"They're retreating!" A Hork Bajir cried out.

{Follow them.} The Visser smiled with my eyes. {This time, I want no survivors.}

I watched as, one by one, the ships were hunted down and destroyed.

Except one.

One lone fighter flew managed to avoid the Bug Fighters, but the Blade ship was closing in on it.

I saw the ship sway and dip, down towards the planet.

As it hit the atmosphere, it accelerated, propelling it away from the Bug Fighters.

"The ship is out of rage." Reported one of the Controllers.

{Go after it!} The Visser snapped.

Despite the escaped Andalite, I could feel the Yeerk was pleased with himself... he'd successfully killed hundreds of Andalites today...

With my help... with my knowledge of their ships, of their tactics.

I was just as responsible as he was and I felt every death...

{Report to me when you've destroyed the Andalite.} The Visser ordered as he turned his back to them. {It's time for me to feed.}

I knew it was coming. I could feel him becoming more and more uneasy. He seemed to want to wait as long as possible before leaving my body.

We returned to the pool. I noticed it was fairly small, only meant for a few higher ranking Yeerks. I was bound once again.

{Whatever plans you're trying to come up with, I've already anticipated them. It's pointless.}

I ignored him. The other controllers tightened the restraints. Once again, they injected me with the drug. For a moment, I was lost in the fog, my mind swam from the drugs effects.

Once again, the realization that I could move came swiftly. But this time, I forced myself to stay still. I forced myself to remain calm.

The drugs didn't last long, a few hours. It was long enough for a Yeerk to feed in the Yeerk pool and return to it's host.

I would have to wait. Wait out the hours. Conserve my strength. Last time, by the time the drug had started to lose its potency, I was physically exhausted. Too exhausted to break my bonds from wildly struggling against them in a weakened, drugged state.

Wait. I had to wait.

"What's wrong Andalite?"

"Has he given up already?"

"Too bad, I was so looking forward to hearing him beg!"

They are not afraid anymore. They think I am helpless. Soon I would show them how wrong they were. I would show them all! I would kill as many as I could before-

Ignore them. Wait.

"Come on Andalite! Scream!" They laughed.

Ignore them!

I took long, deep breaths. I prepared myself...

Then I saw one of the Hork Bajir coming for me. He was going to force my head to the pool. I saw the smug look on his hosts face.

The drug wasn't totally out of my system, but there was no choice.

Now. I had to do this now.

With all the strength I had I gave one, great heave on my tail. The Hork Bajir flinched.

It didn't break!

Again!

The Controller laughed at my struggling and came closer.

Again!

Suddenly, in a single triumphant moment the weight and pressure on my tail was gone. And in another moment, my tail severed the Hork Bajir's head from his shoulders.

I heard several, sudden cries of surprise and fear. They aimed their dracon beams at me, ready to stun me.

But I was one step ahead of them.

I felt my tail-blade as it lodged itself in my throat.

The pain was instantaneous. My blood sprayed across the floor and the surface of the Yeerk Pool. The blue blood twisted in the bubbling foam. The room was in total chaos with controllers running and shouting. It was glorious.

I saw them running to me... I felt something moving me...

But the edges of my vision were already going black... A numbness spread throughout my body...

Yes...!

I had no fear. Death was liberation...

It was over...

...

...

..

.

..

...

...

...My vision returned slowly... I didn't recognize my surroundings... I could barely move...

I blinked several times... where was I...? What happened...?

"I told you it was pointless."

My stalk eyes swayed to look... A Hork Bajir? Why was a Hork Bajir here?

Why...?

Suddenly, I remembered.

He didn't have to tell me, I knew it was him. He took a step forward. "I had surgeons on standby. You're going to live."

{No...!} All I could do was cry out in despair. I was alive...

Suddenly, he reached out, grabbing my head. I thought he was going to take control of me again, but he only forced me to look at him.

"You'll die only when _I _allow it! Your body is _mine_ to use until I tire of you. You're my host! My _slave!" _He was practically screaming, but seemed to regain his composure. "And someday, when you're too old to be of any use, when I move on to another Andalite host..." He paused, then smiled down at me with malice. "Only _then _will you have my permission to die."


	7. Chapter 7

The Visser and his troops opened fire on the creature. It screeched and fell in a bloody heap, mortally wounded, but still clinging to life.

{Hold your fire!}

The Visser stepped forward. The beast was helpless now, taking quick, ragged breaths. It was large, with several tentacled arms with layers of long jagged teeth, an Antarean Bogg. The Visser placed my hand on it's flesh, acquiring it.

The Visser had spent much time acquiring morphs, each one seemed more grotesque then the last. It sickened me to think of this monsters DNA running through me... it sickened me more to imagine what atrocities the Visser may commit with such a monster.

{Finish it.} The Visser ordered as he returned to the bug fighter.

It was a quick stop on the way to another planet.

A planet the Yeerks were in the middle of conquering.

It was a under-developed planet, the most sentient creatures were very basic. They had no great technology to speak of. We Andalites had learned about their species years ago... though I did not remember anything specific. All I knew, is that they were called the Mak.

Despite their primitive technology, the Mak seemed to have somehow formed a resistance against the Yeerks and were holding them at bay... was that possible?

Whether it was true or not, that was why the Visser was sent to the planet.

While descending, I could see the planet was entirely covered in deserts and crags. There appeared to be little or no large bodies of water on the planet at all! There may have been several hundred years ago, but now the entire planet was a vast wasteland.

Stepping outside I was almost overwhelmed by the heat. Heat radiated from the uneven sand underneath my hooves. I was shocked a planet with only one sun could be so hot.

A controller was waiting for us and began to brief us on the situation on our way to the temporary Yeerk Pool. "The Mak have been classified as a Class 3 race."

Class 3. That meant they were physically fit for infestation but are few in numbers. Too few for the millions of Yeerks awaiting hosts.

"There are many colonies spread out over the planet. A colony of Mak usually consist of two hundred or less."

{If they are so few in numbers, then why have you not taken them?} The Visser questioned.

"The Mak live in vast underground colonies. They dig out tunnels that go down for miles, these tunnels form an intricate maze. We sent some of the Mak controllers that we had managed to capture down in hopes they may be able to navigate through the mazes and find the others, but none came back. We don't know if they merely got lost and starved, or if they were killed."

Thankfully, we descended down into a set of large, open tunnels, out of the raging heat, to the temporary Yeerk Pool. Inside there were several Hork Bajir, some Taxxons, and another race that I assumed to be the Mak.

I saw instantly why the Yeerks were interested in the Mak. They had sharp claws on their hands and feet that would do well in combat. However, they were small, much smaller then the Hork Bajir.

"We have several Taxxons borrowing now. However, it's almost impossible to control them once they get started, and it's impossible to know exactly where to dig."

He contemplated for a moment, examining the hosts. {Take me to the tunnels.}

We followed the Hork Bajir away from the pool, through some tunnels, until they opened up upon a large canyon. I spotted several holes in the sides of the canyon that appeared to be the entrances of some kind of tunnels.

The tunnel entrances were small, too small for a Hork Bajir to pass through. They were large enough for the Taxxons, but if the Taxxons did somehow manage to locate the Mak, they would probably be too ravaged by hunger and eat them all. Excavation and expansion of the tunnels would take several months.

{It seems this race is out of your reach, Yeerk.} I sneered.

{Don't be so sure, slave.}

The Visser went back to the temporary Yeerk Pool and approached the cages where the hosts were held. He took a step forward to one of the Mak, examining it with my stalk eyes. It's arms and legs were restrained, and as we approached it began to screech at us in a language my translator chip could not understand yet. Then several others began to do the same.

{Are these all the Mak we have left?}

"Yes Visser Thirty-Two."

The Visser placed a hand on the Mak, acquiring it's DNA.

{I will take half of these Mak into the tunnels. Take them for infestation.} He ordered.

{You're going down there yourself?} I asked him.

{I told you, I prefer a more hands on approach.} He replied. {What's the matter, slave? Not worried about being underground are you?}

There was no point in denying it, being underground in such small tunnels... though I did find some solace in the idea that whatever happened to the other controllers in those tunnels might happen to me. Whether that was the Yeerk starved out or if we were killed... I wasn't particular...

{Don't get your hopes up, Alloran. It would be a shame to have to break them down again. Not to mention a waste of my time.}

About six Mak controllers followed the Visser to the canyon. One of them motioned to a certain tunnel.

"My hosts memories indicate that their colony is through here." He said.

{Good. You will lead the way.}

I began to morph. My stalk eyes shriveled and disappeared altogether, half of my body disappeared and I fell back on two legs as I shrank. My arms grew longer and my fingers melted together then hardened into claws, my hooves did the same. As my fur disappeared, my skin was burned by the intense heat.

My vision suddenly dimmed and the sun stung my sensitive eyes. I was practically blind!

The instincts of the Mak rushed over me. We were in the sun, in the open! We were in danger. We needed to go down. Out of the sun, out of the heat.

It was easy enough for me to handle. The Visser was completely unaffected by the Mak's mind.

The Visser moved my hand to block the sunlight, though it didn't do much good. "Go." He ordered.

One by one, we entered the tunnels.

As soon as we entered I felt instant relief. My eyes instantly adapted to the darkness. The vision was still poor. But living in the dark I supposed eyes were not a necessity.

The cavern was fulls of smells. The smell of earth and stone, I could smell small insects and worms crawling in the sides of the tunnels all around me. I could smell the creatures around me, the Mak and further in... something else?

At the same time my own mind began to panic. The walls closed in on me on all sides! Crushing me! It was impossible to breathe...

{Get a hold of yourself.} The Visser snapped. {You're distracting me.}

All I could do was rage in silence. What I wouldn't have given to have my tail back for just one second...

I let the instincts of the Mak take over to calm myself. It's mind seemed the opposite of my own. The Mak was perfectly comfortable crawling in the dark.

The tunnel dipped and seemed to slant down, the further in we went, the deeper it seemed to go. It was pitch black inside the tunnels. We crawled down through the small, narrow space for over an hour when the passage suddenly opened up.

It was a large vertical cavern carved out from the stone, some of it appeared to be natural but the sides of the cavern were smoothed out and flat. They made a long ramp that circled the entire cavern. One way went up, the other down. Looking over the edge, the cavern seemed to go down for several miles.

The cavern wasn't completely dark. There were some sort of clear globes in the walls. Inside there were several small, dimly glowing things that floated aimlessly. The light wasn't bright, but it was enough to see the path so one might not walk off the edge and fall to an almost certain death.

Even then, I was taken aback by the vastness of the chamber. No doubt the Mak had spent lifetimes carving it out... and soon the Yeerks would probably see it all burn.

One of the Mak pointed down. "Just a little further. According to my hosts memory, the entrance to the colony should be there."

A little further down we found the tunnel that led to the colony. However, the tunnel was blocked by rubble.

"A cave in?"

"It could explain why no one came back. They may have been crushed by the rubble."

The Visser nodded. "Clear it out."

The other controllers started clearing the rubble immediately. They broke apart the rocks and dirt with their massive front claws, at the same time as shoveling it back with their legs.

"And be careful about it." He added. "The last thing we need is another cave in."

As the Mak controllers worked, the Visser surveyed the area. He peered down the cavern, into the abyss... when the Visser looked back, the Mak controllers had already made a small hole in the rubble...

"KSSSSSIIIIIII!"

Suddenly, from the rubble, a strange hiss erupted. From the rubble exploded several creatures, rushing screeching. They weren't Maks, they were smaller, faster. In moments they were attacking the controllers, they were attacking the Visser.

The controllers opened fire with their dracon beams, and the Visser began to swipe at them with the Mak's large claws, but if he killed one, three more took it's place. The next thing I knew, they were hitting me, tackling me again and again. I fell back-

Only there was no where to fall back to.

The next thing I knew, I was falling down into the abyss below.


	8. Chapter 8

The Visser began to demorph, but as we fell we were smacked and twisted against the sides of the cavern. I felt myself loosing consciousness.

Yes! Yes! I cried out silently.

I would, finally, die! This nightmare would be finished.

"NO!" The Visser screamed with my voice.

I felt his sheer concentration. His will. Despite the bleeding, the dizzying fall, the utter chaos from the screeches from above. Despite all that, he was demorphing.

My claws replaced with hooves, my stalk eyes returned, then my tail. My upper body hit the walls of the cavern, the pain was almost unbearable.

He did it, I'm not sure how he managed it, but he demorphed.

Then several arms emerged from my sides, my body became lighter, my fur replaced with feathers.

I caught glimpses of something black below us. The Visser flapped his wings- my wings- and several feet above the black thing he managed to break our fall, but not stop it entirely.

We impacted hard and for a moment I couldn't make out what I was seeing. When the Visser tried to breathe I only sucked in water.

Water? I was under water!?

The Visser struggled in the water. The Kafit bird was not meant for it, it's wings were soaked through and we were sinking.

I felt myself demorphing once more. As my legs reemerged and kicked in the water. Trying to push my body back up to the surface. He managed to pull us up out of the water, onto the rock face, and for a few moments I gasped desperately for air.

{You... wont be rid of me yet, slave...} The Visser sneered, but I could tell he was shaken by the rush with death.

I could not deny my disappointment.

The Visser looked out at our surroundings...

It was an underground lake. Beneath the cavern was a huge body of water.

A creature fell into the lake, it's body twitched for several seconds before going limp and floating aimlessly in the water...

The creature was insect-like, with four legs, it appeared to be around 3 to 5 feet in height and 6 feet in length. It's shell was red and speckled with dark brown and green. The creature had no visible eyes, and had four mandibles arranged on it's head.

There were large claw marks on the creature. From the Mak controllers.

My body was too exhausted to morph back to the Kafit bird and fly back up, so for the moment we walked up the path carved out by the Mak on the sides of the cavern.

{Perhaps it wasn't a cave in that killed your men after all.} I said, smugly. {To think such a primitive planet has given the Yeerks such trouble.}

{This is only the beginning. We will take the Mak and this planet.}

{Or die trying.} I added.

"Visser!?"

I spotted two Mak sliding down the ramps down to us.

The two gave nervous glances to one another as they approached.

{Are you all that's left?} He asked.

"No. Some of the hosts were wounded before we were able to close up the tunnel again, but no casualties."

{What were those creatures?} The Visser demanded.

"The... the Mak call them Skaan... the Mak must have created their colony too close to a their Hive and they were swarmed by Skaan. The Mak must have been forced to abandoned the colony."

{Are they predators?}

"The Skaan are extremely dangerous, but only in large numbers. The ones we saw were the soldiers of the Hive. If they feel threatened, they start swarming. Once the Skaan start swarming they don't stop until they collapse from exhaustion and die."

The Visser paused. {Is that all the information you have? Is there any way to repel them?}

The Controller looked confused. His small black eyes darted back and forth from the other Mak to the Visser as he accessed his hosts memory. "The Skaan are attracted to certain smells. The Mak sometimes use these as means to control where the Skaan can and can't go."

{Is that so...} There was an odd tone to his voice... He looked up, towards the top of the cavern. {You will start digging here. We'll break out to the surface here...} The Visser glanced at the Mak. {But, first, we will return to the Yeerk Pool. Collect the wounded.}

Relief instantly spread over the controllers face. "Yes Visser."

The next few weeks on that planet were spent breaking through the rock ceiling of the cavern from both the surface and from beneath, inside the cavern. When that was complete, The Visser ordered his people to go to the abandoned colony and capture some Skaan for examination.

"They are not fit for infestation. They're not sentient either."

{I didn't suppose they were.} The Visser interjected. {What I want to know, is can they be controlled?}

"Well... the Skaan are attracted to certain pheromones... With them you could draw them to a certain area. Though from examining them, I seriously doubt we could use them off-planet. Removing them from their ecosystem would probably result in death."

{Could you fill the tunnels with it?}

The Hork Bajir controller shrugged. "It's possible. But we'd need to gather more Skaan. Specifically female Skaan. By harvesting the females we can extract the proper pheromones, but that will take time..."

{Then do it.}

The Hork Bajir didn't move. "But... Visser..."

The Visser turned all my eyes to the Hork Bajir. Are you questioning me?

"No! Not at all, I... I'll start immediately."

{What are you thinking?} I snapped at him. {If you flood the tunnels with those pheromones you'll kill all the Mak! What's the point if you kill your hosts?}

{True, some of the Mak may die. But it's useless trying to dig down into all of their colonies and take them by force. We can't get our Hork Bajir down there, they're just too large, and the Taxxons will just likely eat anyone they find. If we flood the tunnels with Skaan, the Mak will have no choice but to abandon their colonies. They'll have nowhere to go but up, straight to us.}

In a horrible way... it made sense. It also reminded me of a sickening truth. If the Yeerks couldn't take a species alive, they would kill them. The Mak would either be wiped out or forced into slavery.

{Such sympathy? From the Andalite who caused the deaths of thousands upon thousands of Hork Bajir?} He mocked.

The Quantum Virus... It had been a last resort. If the battle became absolutely hopeless... I had thought of perhaps using it as a bargaining chip to force the Yeerks to back down, perhaps even leave, at least then some of the Hork Bajir might have remained free. And if that didn't work... I would have released it at the Yeerk Pool, killing them all. All the Hork Bajir hosts.

Death was better then slavery. And at least then the Yeerks couldn't have used the Hork Bajir against us. If only I'd been able to use it...

{But you didn't. How very sad.} The Visser looked out onto the great hole in the rock leading down to the caverns. {The Hork Bajir, The Mak, they're ours. And someday, the Andalites too.}

It took several weeks of capturing and harvesting before the Yeerk were able to start their plans.

They filled the tunnels, at the base of all of the entrances I had seen inside the cavern. Then, they opened up the tunnel from the abandoned colony.

At first, there was nothing. Then, from below, I could hear them. The screeches of the Skaan reverberated in the caverns and echoed out all around us. In seconds thousands upon thousands of Skaan were pouring out like a flood. They paid no heed to us above them, they immediately went below, following the scent. They flew and crawled and swarmed like a storm.

For over an hour that was all I could hear. The high-pitched screech of the Skaan.

But, soon, I began to hear other screams. They were almost drowned out by the Skaan, but I heard them.

From the tunnels came the Mak.

They ran in droves from the Skaan, it was total chaos down below. Soon they would realize that they only had one option, they would have to go up. Their instincts would scream for them to stay below, below where they were safe from the sun and the heat, but there would be no alternative.

The Mak ran out of the caverns out into the open... only to find the Hork Bajir waiting for them. Any and all who emerged were grabbed and taken to the Yeerk Pool. Some tried to fight back, some even managed to successfully damage a Hork Bajir, but they were out numbered on all fronts.

The Mak screeched in their language. I saw a Mak, a female holding an infant, one of the Hork Bajir went for her but was attacked by some males. The female attempted to run, but was cut off. Her back was to the edge. No where to go.

"Saanda! Reeta vaan!" She screamed as the males who protected her were taken away. Her mate? Her brothers? Gone. "Enda, Enda raat! Please, stay! No closer!"

The translator chip in my head had finally gotten a large enough sample of the Mak language.

"Help! Help!" She screamed, she didn't know what was happening, she couldn't. But she understood these monsters meant her harm. She knew they were frightening and dangerous. She clutched the infant, likely her child.

They came closer, they would take her.

The female Mak stared at the monsters in front of her, she looked to the Pool were the others were being taken, she even looked at me...

And then she jumped back into the pit. If she screamed while falling to her death, I could not hear it. It was drowned out by the screeches of the Skaan, the cries of the other Mak, and the cheers and taunts of the Yeerks, pleased over their victory.

The process was repeated several times at every major colony on the Mak home world. Months passed, and the Yeerks had almost 15,000 new Mak hosts.

They took them all. Took them all...

And I could only bear witness to it.


	9. Chapter 9

A host to a Yeerk is alone, isolated from all around them. At the same time, we are never allowed privacy.

It is a boring existence.

I suppose that's a strange thing to say, but it's true. Besides speaking to the Yeerk and watching him steal my life away, the only thing I had to occupy my time were my own thoughts, which offered little comfort for the situation I was in. I often found myself on the verge of slipping into bouts of depression.

I could have let myself go, I suppose... stopped fighting... it would have been easy. But I couldn't. Even then, when I was disgraced and captured, even with my pride stripped away, the only thing I had left was the fight. The fight against the intruder in my mind. It was a fight that I could not win. But I soon realized that I could not look at it in terms of winning and being free or losing and being imprisoned. As long as I still was angry and aware enough to fight, the Yeerk had not won yet.

I would not submit. The Yeerk could say it was pointless and pathetic, but it was all I really had left. I would be damned if I gave it up.

The fight was all I had left.

That, and my memories.

All I could think of was how this had happened, what I could have done differently, who was to blame...

Elfangor.

He did this to me. _He _did this. If he had just followed my orders, none of this would have happened! The Yeerks would have revealed themselves and tried to save the others, we'd have killed them or starved them out, retrieved the time matrix, and returned home.

But no. No, he had to be an idealist. Just like that fool Seerow, releasing the Yeerks into the galaxy. Like his pathetic daughter, Aldrea, going native and putting the needs of the Hork-Bajir above those of her own people. Just like the fools who condemned me and made me a disgrace, believing themselves to be my moral superiors.

The fool didn't even have the decency to rectify his mistake. He didn't destroy me when he had the chance. If I ever had the chance... If ever given the chance... I would kill him. I would kill that pathetic fool for his weakness and cowardice! I would kill him for allowing me to become this!

I would kill him...

Even so, it was entirely possible that he was already dead. The last I'd seen of him was in that world made by the Time Matrix. Maybe he died there. Maybe he was still there now with that female alien.

If only I had gone home. Left the aliens and the Time Matrix to someone else and returned home. If I had done that, I might be holding my wife now... instead of watching the Visser pace about his quarters, waiting for a call from the Council of Thirteen.

I am a husband, a father, I should be with my family. But now I know I will never see them again. I long to see them again, but I pray I never will. I know if I do, it will end with me watching them either die or be dragged down an infestation pier.

My family... I could only imagine what they must be facing now. My disgrace had already had an effect on them before I'd been taken. Now…

My son, Ardan, was having trouble in his classes. He was becoming very distant and reckless, acting out and getting into fights. Jahar believed he was perhaps being bullied by the other children. He had always been a thoughtful, quiet boy and my disgrace had had just as large an effect on him as it had on me. He reminded me of how my brother had been when we were children, which worried me. Arbat had always been more of a scholar then a Warrior. I had wondered if Ardan would be able to be strong during this time of war. I had hoped he would grow to be a soldier, like me...

Now the possibility that my son would become a soldier and meet me on the battle field...

On my best days I imagined him being a great Prince and killing the Visser, setting me free... on my worst days I imagine myself forced to watch as the Visser kills my son with my own body.

I hoped he wouldn't join the army; I hoped to never see him again. I hoped he would be strong and protect his mother and his sister, now that I could not.

My daughter...

She was only just born. Jahar and I had not chosen a name before I left. We would have, when I returned. I would never see my daughter. I would never know her name. I would never know her.

They would be mistreated, surely, as the family of the disgraced War Prince and now Andalite-Controller. I had learned the hard way how fickle my own people could be. The fact that my family would suffer for my failure made it all the worse.

There is no escape from the Visser or the Yeerks. My only chance to be freed was if someone else finally killed me.

The doors to the Visser's quarters opened. Until then, he had been lost in his own thoughts as much as I was in mine. {What is it? I thought I said I didn't want to be disturbed!}

The Hork-Bajir controller was silent. He was examining my body. "When I'd heard you had managed to take an Andalite as a host, I knew I had to see it for myself." The Hork-Bajir gave an unpleasant smile. "It seems your hard work finally paid off... I suppose I lost the bet."

I expected the Visser to snap at him, but he actually seemed to relax. {Oh, I didn't recognize you. You... you have a new host body.}

There was a strange, awkward air between the two of them. They knew each other? Were they close in some way? Was that possible?

The Hork-Bajir entered the room. "Yes, my last host was getting old, you know what short lifespans these Hork-Bajir have." He was still examining my body as if I was some kind of exotic animal in a zoo. "Though you won't have to worry about that anymore..."

{What are you doing here?} The Visser asked...

The Yeerk laughed a little. "What? Now that you have an Andalite host, are you too good for the rest of us?" He seemed to be joking... but there was a bitter edge to it.

{Don't be a fool.}

Silence.

"What's it like?" He asked, the tone of bitterness that had laced his voice now gone.

The Visser was silent for a long time, perhaps trying to find the right words. {Do... do you remember what it was like moving from a Gedd to a Hork-Bajir?}

The Hork-Bajir controller nodded.

{It's like that... only so much more. There's so much power in this body, speed, and intelligence... It makes a Hork-Bajir look like a Gedd in comparison.}

There was a chime indicating an incoming message.

{The council...}

The two cast uncertain looks at one another. Before either could react, a holographic image appeared. There were thirteen controllers covered in dark red robes, hiding most of their hosts' species.

"Visser Thirty-Two." One of them said, appearing to barely glance at the Hork-Bajir.

The Visser stood at attention. {Honored Council members.}

"We have heard of your recent achievements, Visser, and we're pleased with your progress. Your successes in battle against the Andalites, the knowledge of their technologies you've managed to acquire, as well as your recent success on the Mak home world..."

I felt a jolt of pride from the Visser, though he was sure to keep me expressionless. {Thank you.}

"Yes, we're very pleased. So much so, we have new orders for you."

{Whatever you see fit for me, I will do.} I made me sick to hear him sucking up to his superiors in my voice.

"Esplin 9466 Prime, we have seen fit to elevate you to the rank of Visser Three. You will lead our forces in the destruction of the Andalites starting immediately."

I felt the new Visser Three smile with my eyes. {I will not disappoint you.} He said, unable to hide his excitement.

The image flickered out. The Yeerk was beaming. He looked to the Hork-Bajir controller, who seemed to almost be glaring at the Visser...but it only lasted a second.

"Well... it seems congratulations are in order... brother..." The rank he was trying to say stuck in his host's throat before he forced it out. "Visser Three."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTES**

First off for I'd like to say a quick thanks to Shane C, who has offered to be a Beta reader for this story, lord knows I needed one! ;) (No, I REALLY needed one)

Next, a thank you to those who have been reading and leaving reviews! I'm glad you like the story and I always look forward to reading your comments on the chapters.

And, finally, a quick word about the story itself.

This chapter feels a little dry to me, dry but necessary. I knew I had to reestablish Alloran's hate for Elfangor and his mourning of the life he's lost. But this chapter also made me realize, while this is Alloran's story, it's not ONLY Alloran's story. (Whether he likes it or not) It's also Visser Three's story of rising to power and going absolutely bonkers along the way. So I decided in introduce Esplin's twin. We know from the Hork Bajir chronicles that Visser Three wasn't always a lunatic and I hope to maybe play around with the descent into the power mad and monologuing Visser Three we all know and love. (Besides I figure you can only have so many chapters focusing solely on Alloran's anger and disgust before it starts getting old, but hey, maybe that's just me.)

I have some ideas for the story, I may have very short interludes where we switch to Alloran's family and see how their handling all this, I may do something really stupid like make this an alternate reality story and change what happens to Alloran where maybe he somehow escapes... I'm not sure. I was never quite sure where I was taking this story when I started it. I just really wanted to write about Alloran because after rereading Animorphs he became one of my favorite characters. (No Joke)

I started this story on a whim and I have no idea if or when I'll loose interest in writing it. Which is entirely possible. It's possible I'll loose interest and stop writing for months or even years... I'm sorry if that happens, but my imagination is really fickle that way. But if that DOES happen I'll do my best to not leave you guys on a bad cliffhanger or something.

So, anyway, be sure to let me know what you think! And again, thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

The now-Visser Three had extracted several locations of Andalite bases and transportation routes from my memories, back when I was first infested. The Yeerks had been relentlessly attacking them before my people had the chance to move the outposts or change the supply lines.

It didn't take long for my people to reorganize. It didn't take long for my people to fight back and regain some ground. But the sudden, vicious attacks on all fronts had caught them off-guard. The Yeerks had gotten much out of the assaults. They'd captured weapons and technology, most of which I knew how to use. I was no scientist, and I wasn't familiar with some of the newer technology…but it was enough for the Yeerks.

That was before the Visser had taken over the attacks.

Now he had taken charge, and he felt he had much to prove. He killed as many as he could in the battles he led.

How long had those battles gone on? The days and weeks of combat blurred together and seemed like it might never end...one after another, on and on. The Yeerks were in the middle of another attack. A base that had not been evacuated in time to prevent the assault.

"We have Andalite ships converging on us."

Several Andalite spacecrafts came out of nowhere. They moved together while their formation constantly shifted, taking out one Bug Fighter after another. The Visser shouted orders to his subordinates.

One of the controllers turned to face him. "Visser, we're receiving a transmission. One of the ships is trying to open communications. Should we-"

{Do it.} He snapped.

The image of an Andalite filled the screen. He glared at us in defiance. {This is a message to the abomination known as Visser Thirty-Two.}

The Visser gave a harsh laugh. {Actually, it's Visser Three now.}

The Andalite did not look like he cared. {Regardless what rank you claim, my name is Thillaran-Godram-Mallium, and I will be the one to kill you.}

As if to show this was no empty threat, the Blade ship was rocked by the attacks of the Andalite fighters. No, not the fighters. We hadn't seen it before, but it came on us quickly, a Dome Ship. The dome was already released. The base that we had believed to be vulnerable had opened and released the hidden Dome Ship while the fighters distracted the Yeerks and drew their fire. Its powerful guns opened fire on the Blade ship again and again.

Normally a Blade Ship and a Dome Ship are about evenly matched, in terms of firepower. But this Dome Ship moved in quickly, leaving the Blade Ship no time to maneuver and mount a counter attack.

There was only one thing the Visser could do.

{Retreat!}

I couldn't help but enjoy the sight of the Yeerks scrambling to run from the onslaught.

It felt good. It felt very good.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Jahar**_

I should have been home, with my family. But I wasn't.

Instead, I was standing by the memorial to my husband. My husband, who was not dead. In accordance to our traditions, we planted a tree upon learning Alloran's... fate...

I went there to tend to the tree, only to find it in pieces. Someone had destroyed it. Its thin trunk had been slashed with a tail blade, the tree felled with a few simple strokes. The one who had done it had not been satisfied, apparently, and had continued to slice it into kindling after it had fallen.

I was not sure how long I was standing there, staring at the tree. At the fallen memorial to my husband.

{Jahar...?}

I had not seen him coming. All of my eyes had been on the tree. {Arbat?} My husband's brother.

His eyes showed concern, then anger as he saw the tree. {What happened? Was someone here? Did they threaten you?}

{No... No. It was like this when I got here.}

He turned to face the tree. He stepped forward and kneeled, examining it. {These cuts were made by a smaller tail-blade... it was probably just some foolish children playing a prank.}

Yes, I had thought the same thing.

He stood from the tree, trying to appear lighthearted. {We must have not have chosen a spot that was secluded enough.}

{It was probably Ardan.}

Arbat seemed shocked by that, his stalk eyes stretched to their highest. His eyes then narrowed. {Has he said anything?}

{No. I have tried to speak with him, but he refuses to talk to me about it.} I finally managed to pull my main eyes away from the tree. {I do not know how to console him... I... I do not know how to console myself...} I closed my eyes, trying to find some kind of strength. {I knew I was going to lose him. This war has taken so many lives. I am not a fool, Arbat. I am a soldier's wife. He had his duty…}

Arbat remained silent, because he didn't know what to say.

{I always expected to hear the worst. You know what he was like after...after his disgrace. He wanted to prove himself. He wanted to prove he was still a War-Prince.} I wasn't sure what I was saying anymore. {I expected the worse.} I repeated. {But I never thought...} I laughed, but it was sorrowfully hollow. {I suppose I do not have the proper imagination.}

{Jahar, what happened to Alloran...}

{Happened?} I asked. {It hasn't just 'happened' to him. It's _happening_ to him, now, at this very second.} I knew I was being unfair to him. He was just as helpless in this situation as I was.

We were both silent. We must have been standing there for some time.

{We should go back.} He said finally. {The children are probably waiting.}

{Yes, you're right.} I couldn't allow myself to wallow in sorrow. I had a family to keep.

We walked in silence back to the scoop. I felt as though I should have said something, but I didn't. I felt like I should apologize to Arbat, but I didn't. I didn't speak until I saw Maylon walking alone outside of the scoop.

{Maylon!}

Her small eyes turned towards my familiar thought-speak, she stumbled forward on unsteady legs. I reached her and checked to be sure she wasn't hurt. My hearts were pounding. The idea of Maylon being left alone for who knows how long frightened me. Anything could have happened to her.

{Ardan!} Arbat called out in angry thought-speech.

I scanned the area, but Ardan was nowhere in sight.

Maylon was upset by the loud, angry thought-speech. She was too young to understand.

{I'll be back,} Arbat said, still very angry. I didn't argue with him.

When Arbat was gone, I watched as Maylon stumble away. She trailed through the tall grass and toward the river, I was not far behind her. She was so blissfully unaware. She had no idea she had lost anything.

Arbat returned later with a sulking Ardan close behind him.

{What do you have to say?} Arbat did not shout, controlling his anger.

{I wasn't gone long.} Ardan shot back, defiant.

{You should not have left at all.} He snapped. {Maylon is too young to be left alone, you should know better then-}

I stepped in between the two of them. {Arbat, please.} I looked to Ardan... he looked at me with only one of his stalk eyes. The others avoided my gaze.

I wondered what he would have said to him now. But he wasn't here.

{Ardan, I'm very disappointed in you.}

Ardan flinched as if I had shouted, but said nothing.

I sighed. {It's late.} I turned to face Arbat. {Thank you for coming.}

{If you need help, don't hesitate to call for me.}

We said our goodbyes, and Arbat left us.

Standing alone with my children, I felt lost. I looked at Ardan. I knew he felt the same as I did, and I also knew there was nothing I could say to him. I didn't know what to say. I wish I did.

Ardan went to Maylon, taking her hand in his and leading her away from the river and back towards the scoop. I followed behind them,

{I'm sorry, mother.}

He didn't look at me, but his tone was genuine.

{It's alright, Ardan.} Only it isn't. {Everything will be alright.} Only it wouldn't. It never would be, never again.

I stopped myself. No, I couldn't think that way. Even if my Alloran was gone, even if I would never see my husband again, my family was still here. My family needed me to be strong, and I would be. I am a soldier's wife. That means that I have to be strong, too.

For my family, my children.

For my husband.


	12. Chapter 12

It had been a very long time since I had eaten fresh grass, and it was starting to have a negative effect on my health. So, once again, we were landing on a nearby planet.

The Visser had added Esplin the lesser, his twin, to his guard.

{Form a perimeter, and be ready to take off in fifteen minutes.}

Esplin nodded and he and the other Hork-Bajir spread out.

The grass was a light greenish-yellow. It was terrible and not satisfying in the least. I could feel the Visser wasn't very happy with it either, though something told me it wasn't just the grass that contributed to his foul mood. If I could have smiled, I would have.

The attacks of Prince Thillaran had finally seemed to turn the tide of the battle. The Yeerks were beginning to experience many more losses. To make things even better, Thillaran seemed to have made it his personal mission to kill the Visser, and me with him. He sought us out in every battle we found ourselves in, but he had failed to finish the job so far.

But if this experience had taught me anything, it was patience.

{Your optimism is almost as annoying as your sulking.}

He was trying to goad me into anger, as usual, but even sour grass could not dampen my spirits. For the first time in a long time, I felt hope.

My ears caught the sound of footsteps, someone walking closer. The Visser turned my stalk-eyes to the noise, and I expected to see a Hork-Bajir soldier - but it was an Andalite who stood there, holding a shredder.

{Don't move,} he ordered. {I'm not here to fight.}

The Visser examined the Andalite, then the area around me. There were no Hork-Bajir nearby.

{I find that hard to believe,} the Visser said, carefully turning to face him.

{Don't take another step!} the Andalite snapped.

The Visser did not move.

Why didn't he shoot? I – we – were unarmed! What was he waiting for?

{If you're not here to kill me, what are you here for?}

The young Andalite glared at me. {I came here to make a deal.}

What!?

The Visser laughed. {A deal? What could you possibly have to offer me?}

{Other than your life?} He sneered. {I'm here to offer you information.}

The Visser showed no sign of fear, though he was completely defenseless. He was waiting for a trick, some sort of deception. So was I. {If you had any information worth having, I would simply have you infested.} He was bluffing.

The Andalite laughed. {You could do that, but while I might be useful as a host, my talents might serve you better as a spy.}

No... No! NO! He couldn't be serious! He couldn't!

This piqued the Visser's interest. {And what might you want in exchange for your...services?}

{You've met Prince Thillaran by now, correct? Well, I want him dead.}

{What makes you think that I'll trust you?} the Visser questioned.

Slowly, carefully, the Andalite tossed the shredder forward. It landed at my hooves.

{Now you're in charge.}

The truth dawned on me. He wasn't trying to fool the Visser. He wasn't trying to set a trap. He meant it.

I tried to scream it at him. {You worthless traitor! You sniveling, pathetic fool!} But my thoughts were only to myself, as always. Myself, and the Visser.

The Visser picked up the shredder, then looked to the Andalite. {You expect me to believe you'd betray your people?}

{I just gave you my weapon.} He stated, calmly.

{True enough, which is why I'm willing to listen to your proposal. But I want to know why. What reason could you possibly have to want to kill Thillaran?}

He hesitated.

{Of course, I could just have you infested and learn that way.} The Visser stated calmly.

I saw a flicker of fear cross the Andalites eyes. The thought of this traitor kicking and screaming all the way to the Yeerk Pool almost appealed to me. The fact that I almost liked the idea of this fool ending up a slave disturbed me, but not much.

{War-Prince Thillaran-Godram-Mallium is brave and cunning, but also ruthless.} He trailed off, fury in his eyes. {My brother was assigned under his command. I... I do not know the details of the orders he gave. The Electorate had that covered up. His family has close ties with them. Whatever it was, my brother opposed his plan and posed a challenge to him.}

I felt the Visser dig into my mind.

A challenge. Any Andalite warrior can challenge the order of a superior officer if he believes that superior is violating the fundamental rights of the people.

{My brother was young. He'd only just been made a Warrior. The challenge should have been void with no Prince to support the challenge, but Thillaran accepted it anyway. He nearly killed my brother in the fight... no, not a fight. My brother was no match for him, and he knew it.}

The penalty for losing a challenge was that the warrior would have his tail-blade cut off and banishment. Permanent exile.

{He was exiled?} The Visser asked, calmly.

{Yes.}

{And that is enough for you to betray your people to me? Just for that?}

The Andalite laughed. {Yes. It is.}

{You must know that I cannot merely take you on your word alone.} The Visser told him, keeping the Shredder trained on him. {Your story will have to be proven, as will your loyalty.}

He was quiet for a long moment. {Very well. But make it quick. If I'm gone too long, the others may suspect something.}

I wanted to scream at him, I wanted to cut the traitor's throat.

As we approached the ship, the Hork-Bajir saw the traitor and pointed their weapons at him.

{Hold your fire.} The Visser ordered. {We're taking him with us, and he will come willingly. Isn't that right?}

{Yes,} The traitor confirmed.

I heard the Visser laugh in my head, silent to everyone but me. {Not so optimistic now, are you?}

My anger rose, but as I spotted the Visser's guards approaching, entering the ship... something crossed my mind...

{Don't be ridiculous.} The Visser said, after seeing my thoughts.

{Do you think it's ridiculous?} I asked with a sneer. {You don't think it's strange? All these Hork-Bajir here to guard you at your weakest moment. The finest soldiers the Yeerk Empire has to offer and yet an Andalite managed to get close enough to assassinate you... and no one noticed?}

The Visser was silent, he knew what I was saying and why I was saying it. I knew he knew. My thoughts were his to read and play with as he wished.

{Perhaps it wasn't a slip in security.} I laughed. {Perhaps they did it on purpose?}

{That would never happen!} He snapped.

{Can you be sure? If you died, it might open the way to a promotion for them.} I laughed bitterly to myself. {Can you really trust any of them?}

{You think you can manipulate me, slave?} He hissed. {Let's see if you can keep that smug attitude on the battlefield with your people dying and suffering all around you, cursing you for your weakness and stupidity.}

We were both silent as the ship took off. The Visser used my stalk-eyes to scan the room, looking into the faces of the Visser's personal guard…and the traitor, Esplin. Most of them had their eyes and Dracon Beams fixed on the traitor.

Esplin noticed the Visser staring at him. "Is something wrong?"

The Visser was silent for a long time. {No... nothing is wrong.}


	13. Chapter 13

_**Ardan**_

Ralin's tail smacked my face. It dizzied me, infuriated me. I charged and tried to hit him, but he dodged me and hit me again. The other boys had circled around us, some goading me on, some cheering Ralin. I tackled him. It was not an honorable move. But I did not care about being honorable.

He fell back and I hit him. I didn't cut him. I hit him with the flat of my tail-blade. He tried to get up, but I wouldn't let him. I kicked him in the head with my hooves. I kept hitting him. I wanted to hit him.

{Enough, Ardan! Enough! Stop!}

I barley heard the other kids around me, screaming.

Something pushed me, I fell back into a heap.

{GET OFF ME!} I screamed, trying to get up.

But Sirem didn't let up, his hooves pushing me down, pinning my tail. {You won Ardan! You won! Stop!}

The others stared at me in fear and contempt. Someone tried to help Ralin to his feet, but he refused, standing by himself on unsteady legs. I saw blood trickle down the side of his face. He glared at me with his stalk eyes before leaving. Only when they were all gone did Sirem let me up.

{Why did you do that?} I snapped at him.

{You were out of line, Ardan.} He said firmly.

He was right, I knew he was right, but I was angry. {No one asked you to help!} But I wasn't angry at Sirem. {You heard what he said!}

{That's why I didn't stop you from fighting him. Ralin is scum and he deserved to get beat, but you took it too far.}

I took a few quick, deep breaths, trying to calm down. {He... he called my father...}

Sirem's stalk-eyes closed for a moment. {I know.}

We were both silent. I hated the silence. Whenever I was around other people, that's what happened. Silence. Even though I knew they whispered to each other in private thought-speak. Sirem had never been my friend before... Before. But he was now... He was the only person who wanted to be around me now. All my other friends... left. They didn't talk to me anymore. Then there were people like Ralin... who never missed a chance to try and mock me, but Sirem didn't do any of that... he probably only talked to me out of pity.

Sirem was almost a year younger then I was, but he was bigger than me. He was bigger than almost everybody else our age. He was a weird, quiet kid. Not shy, just... quiet. Despite that, because of his size, nobody messed with Sirem.

Sirem motioned with his left stalk-eye towards the path. {Let's go.}

I wondered what he wanted from me... but I didn't ask. I was too afraid about what the answer might be. And, despite everything, I was glad someone still talked to me...

But even as we walked, my stomach still churned. I was still angry.

{I got a new holo-game back at my scoop. Do you want to try it?} Sirem asked, trying to leave the fight behind us.

{No.} I said, without really thinking about it. {I mean...} It's not that I didn't want to play, I did. I wanted to play and joke with Sirem. But whenever I tried, all I could think about was my father.

He wasn't laughing. He wasn't joking with friends.

Sirem smiled with his eyes a little. {It's fine if you don't want to.}

I didn't say anything.

It made me sick, sick with anger and fear. If the Yeerks could do that to my father, what would stop them from coming here? From taking me? Or my mom? Or everyone?

My father wasn't weak. If the Yeerks could steal someone like that...

When my father was disgraced, even then, no one dared called my father weak. No one dared called him a coward because, while they no longer respected him, they weren't stupid enough not be afraid of him. But now that he was gone, they all said it. They pretended to pity him, us, at first. But their pity didn't last. Now they mocked him. Now they hated him, hated us.

Ralin... he called my father a Yeerk. Like... like my father wasn't an Andalite anymore. Like he'd never been. Like my father had a choice.

Ralin was lucky I didn't cut him. I'd wanted to.

I wanted to hurt him and it scared me...

Sirem broke out into a run. He ran passed me and jumped over a small hill, turning back to me. {Come on. Or do you think you can't beat me in a race?}

He was trying. He was trying so hard to try and help me. I forced a smile. {You wish!}

I ran, I bolted passed him ran. He was not far behind me. We cut through the trees and over some fallen logs. I nearly fell over when one of my hooves slipped into a hole, and Sirem took the lead. But I pushed harder. I caught up, pushed passed him. Faster. Faster! I saw him behind me. I had left him in the dust!

I laughed a little. It felt good, even if it wasn't real.

We reached an opening of trees that we would part ways. We both stopped for a minute, gasping.

{Well... you win!}

I smiled. {Yeah.}

Once we'd caught our breath we split up.

{Ardan... take it easy.} Sirem told me as I walked away.

I tried to come up with something to say... but nothing came to mind. And before long he was gone. I felt bad that I hadn't said anything, I wish I had.

I walked the rest of the way home.

{NO!}

My mother's scream made me jump.

I ran. My mother had screamed and my mind swam with visions of my father. My father and the Yeerks taking my mother, my sister. Only when my scoop was in sight did I stop. Someone was outside my home... but not my father.

A large male stood in front of my mother. He seemed calm, but my mother was not. Her tail twitched, she looked like she might attack him!

{Mother?} I called out. She looked to me, and I could tell something was terribly wrong. {What's going on?} I asked.

The male looked to me. {Ardan-Semitur-Solon, you-}

{No!} My mother screamed again. {This war has already taken my husband, you _won__'__t _get my son!}

I didn't understand, at first.

{I'm sorry.} The male said, with no sign of the sympathy he claimed to have. {But there's no other option. He is of age, and we need soldiers.}

My mother looked to me with frustration and anguish... and I understood.

The Soldier handed down my orders then left. Leaving my mother and I standing in stunned silence.

I was being drafted.

I had heard rumors that there might be a draft, but I never thought it might actually happen, let alone happen to me. I wasn't just Ardan anymore. I was Aristh Ardan-Semitur-Solon. My mother was trembling in fury.

{Mother...}

She looked to me, that fierce look never leaving. {Ardan... I want you to promise me something.}

{What?} I asked.

{You have to come back to me. Don't take any unnecessary risks and come home to us.} Her eyes softened. {I can't lose you too. Promise me.}

I was going to train, I was going to be a soldier... I was going to fight in the war...

My father... would I see my father? Would I fight him? It scared me to think about it, but, at the same time... could I do it? What if I did see him? What if I fought him and caught him and ripped that... thing out of my father's skull... What if I could save him?

{Ardan,}My mother said, a little more forcefully. {Promise me.}

{I promise.} I told her. But it was, at least partially, a lie.

I would come home, someday, but I wouldn't come home alone...


	14. Chapter 14

_**Ardan**_

There were many new Arisths waiting on the dome ship that day. I'd never heard of so many Arisths being called onto a dome ship all at once. Apparently the Captain in charge of this ship wanted to train as many new recruits as possible.

Some of them were with their families but most were already grouping together and speaking in loud, careless thought-speak. They were talking about stories they had heard from the older males in their families and speculating about their worries and expectations. What would the commanding officer be like? How does the grass in the dome taste, what if it's gross? How long before we would see our first battle? How many Yeerks they would kill...

I was just as curious but I kept my thoughts to myself. I waited in silence with my mother, my sister, and my uncle...

Maylon was restless. If I hadn't been holding her hand she would have probably been wandering around the launch area. She pulled lightly on my hand her eyes excitedly looking in all directions, this was her first time seeing the city... I hadn't been to the city in years, the last time was when my mother and I had met my father to take him home...

He had been allowed... sent... home after what happened on the Hork Bajir home world. I still had no idea what exactly he did, but it didn't matter to me then. I was happy to see him, but I don't think he was happy to see me. We didn't really talk or spend time with each other, not in any meaningful way. He would ask about my classes, how I was doing, welcome me home, but we didn't talk... Not about why he always paced in silence or why he had trouble sleeping.

I asked mother about it once, but she just told me that my father needed time. I wasn't sure time would ever make him better. He had been home for over a year, but he never did seem to settle. Before long he already was planning to leave. He wanted to fight again. I didn't go with my parents to see him off. My mother disapproved but he didn't seem to mind.

He would come back and visit, but he never stayed long and I stopped going to the city to meet him. It's not like he wanted to see me, right? If he did... he would have been there...

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a ship flying overhead. For a second, my hearts stopped. But it wasn't my ship. It wasn't a dome ship... Despite that, my hearts were still pounding. In all honesty; I was scared but also excited. I'd never been on a dome ship before, I'd never been in space before.

{Ardan!}

That voice!

I saw him coming, he stood out in the crowd of other boys. He pushed through them and up to us, taking a moment to catch his breath.

{Sirem? What are you doing here?}

{I just heard that you were leaving on the dome ship! I wanted to say goodbye.} Sirem turned to my mother and greeted her respectfully. {Good evening.}

My mother's eyes widened in surprise. {Did you come here alone?} My mother asked.

Sirem looked away, embarrassed. {Yes, my mother can't...} He trailed off.

{I understand.} My mother replied, a little quickly.

He came here alone? All the way from home? {You didn't need to do that.}

{I guess. But I'm not old enough to go with you, so I wanted to remind you not to make a fool of yourself.} He didn't say it in front of my mother, but he was warning me not to get into fights.

{Sure... thanks.} I muttered, then added in private thought-speak. {That's stupid.}

{You're welcome.} He said brightly, then added also in private thought-speak. {You would know all about that.} He smiled slyly at me.{So, when is the ship suppose to arrive?}

Uncle Arbat, who had been silent up until now, spoke up. {It's scheduled to arrive within the hour. We should be seeing it any time now...}

I saw my mother's stalk eyes lower, her main eyes closed. She was still angry, but there was nothing she could do.

How long would it be before I get to see my mother again? Or Maylon? Maybe months, maybe even years. I couldn't imagine not seeing them every day or not waking up at home on fresh, familiar grass. Would I have to share a room with other Arisths? Probably. Would I get along with them? Or maybe they would be like Ralin... maybe Ralin was drafted too. Looking into the crowd, I didn't see any familiar faces, which actually made me feel a lot better. Maybe no one would know me... or who my father was...

Is. Who my father is.

{Ardan, come with me.} I was surprised by my uncle's command, but didn't argue.

I turned to face Sirem. {Could you watch her for a minute?}

Sirem took Lanam's hand. {Yes, I can.}

I followed Uncle Arbat away from my mother. It wasn't necessary, we could have used private thought-speak... but I guess he wanted to look me in the eye.

All of his eyes were focused on me. His intense stare made me nervous.{I know what you're thinking Ardan.}

I kept my stalk eyes trained on the skies, like I was looking for a ship, while my main eyes focused on the area around his head. I couldn't quite look him in the face. {What?}

{You think you're going to become a great Prince and save your father single-handedly.} He said, bluntly, mockingly.

{No I don't...} I protested.

{Don't be a fool Ardan.}

I wasn't sure what to say.

{You can't save him.} He said, coldly.

I kept my tail low, trying not to show the anger building up in my chest. {You don't know that.}

{I do.}

{NO YOU DON'T!} I screamed.

How could he say that? His brother- my father- how could he say that!?

To my surprise, he smiled. {You're just like him, you know. You're just like Alloran when he was young. He was gentle, sometimes arrogant, stubborn... an idealist.}

That surprised me. {M-_my_ father?}

The nostalgic smile faded from his eyes. {Yes. War changes people Ardan. Your father always wanted to be a warrior... but he wasn't ready for the harsh reality. He was never the same.} He sighed. {I'm worried about you Ardan. I don't want you to follow in the steps of your father, and I don't want you to seek him out.}

{But... he's still alive. Everyone treats him like he's dead, but he's not! He's alive and I...} Maybe he was right, maybe I couldn't save him. But he was- _is_ -my father. Don't I have to try? Doesn't that mean something?

{Ardan, I won't be there to stop you from trying. Who knows? You'll probably never see him at all. But whatever you do, I want you to remember this; I don't think your mother could survive loosing you too.}

I looked to my mother, her back was to me... but her stalk eyes was trained on us. She couldn't hear us, but she was watching, concerned.

{She won't loose me.}

Arbat didn't back down. {But what if she does? What if you die? What if you're taken by the enemy?}

{She has Maylon... she would never leave Maylon alone!} I protested.

{I'm not talking about her life. I'm talking about her mind, her spirit. Jahar is a strong willed female, but loosing her husband _and_ her son? It will be too much for her.}

I turned away from him. {Why are you telling me this...? Why are you saying all this now?} I didn't need this... not now. Not when I was about to leave. Not when I was going to become a Warrior.

{Because you needed to hear it. Because you have to hear it.} He paused for a long time, like he was trying to find the words. {Besides... Alloran would have never forgiven me...}

Suddenly, I heard a flurry of excited thought-speak.

{Here it comes!}

{I see it!}

I looked up into the sky and, sure enough, there it was. A dome ship.

{Well, Ardan, it's time.} He raised his tail towards me and I lifted mine, our blades touched in salute.

We walked back to Mother, Maylon, and Sirem. My mother stared at me, unable to hide her sadness.

{I... I'll come home. I promise.}

Mom placed the palm of her hand on my cheek, normally I would have been embarrassed by the thought of people seeing my mother kissing my cheek but looking to her eyes, not knowing when I would see her again... none of that mattered.

My mother forced a smile. {I know. I love you Ardan.}

{I... I love you too...}

I patted Maylon on the head. {See you soon... take care of our mother.}

I looked to Sirem, he smiled. {Good luck Aristh Ardan-Semitur-Solon.}

{Thank you... Sirem-Nabilin-Gralwan.}

I left my family and joined the other Arisths, I tried to keep them in sight with my stalk eyes, but soon lost them in the crowds. Soon the ship landed and several older Andalites began moving on and off the ship. Repairs, refueling, resupplies happening all at once. An older Andalite approached us.

{You, Arisths, follow me.}

We did as we were told, following him onto the ship. We were lead to our barracks and told to await orders. For the most part, we were all silent. Out of fear, or maybe just anticipation.

We waited for a few hours before being called into the dome for take off.

The ship lifted off, leaving the city behind, leaving the planet behind. I could see for miles. As we lifted higher and higher the expansive hills and trees seemed less real. And as I looked down at my home planet from the vacuum of space I couldn't help but think about how small it all looked. It was my entire world until now...

{Arisths! Stand at attention for your Captain!}

We did as the officer ordered as a large male stepped out in front of us. He wasn't the biggest male I'd seen, but the way he carried himself told you that he was of high rank. He looked as us as if we were weeds.

{Let me make this clear from the beginning, if you follow orders and dedicate yourself to your training your hard work will be rewarded. Those who are insolent and slack off will be punished. This isn't school. There's no playing around here. You are soldiers and I expect you to act like it.}

We all exchanged uncertain looks.

{I am your commanding officer Thillaran-Godram-Mallium.} It may have just been my imagination but as his stalk eyes scanned the group, I could have sworn he stopped to stare at me... {Welcome to the Dome Ship StarStrike.}


	15. Chapter 15

In Andalite society death is very rarely the penalty for a crime. For someone to be put to death in this day and age one would have to commit a great atrocity to our people, such as treason. Outright murders are rare in our culture. If you believe someone has wronged you it is not uncommon for a duel or challenge to be issued and while deaths aren't unusual in that context, a duel is a mutually accepted fight and therefore not considered murder. Besides that, as far as sentencing criminals, prison or banishment is more common.

In Yeerk society, death seems to be becoming a common punishment for any sort of crime. Torture is also popular. If one is especially unlucky, a Yeerk can be subjected to both. The method of death depends highly on the Visser or Sub-Visser in question. While Dracon Beam seems to be the most neutral method of execution the most brutal death sentence, for a Yeerk, is death by Kandrona starvation.

At the moment, for one reason or another, a Yeerk was being starved. He was in his final hours. As we stepped into the chamber, I could see his host trembling, the Yeerk unable to hide his own terror and desperation as the hours crawled by. I had never seen a Yeerk starved out and, despite myself, was what one might call 'morbidly interested'.

The Hork Bajir body was restrained in the center of another, mostly empty room. There were two armed guards in there with him. He and we were separated by a transparent wall of soundproof glass. Apparently the Yeerks couldn't be bothered to listen to the screams. Most executions seemed to be conducted in this way.

The Visser was waiting for a report from the traitor. Prince Thillaran had returned to the home world for supplies and soldiers. For now, he couldn't afford to keep in constant contact with them, so that was left to do was wait for him.

Even so, the Visser probably wouldn't have been there at all... had he not been ordered to attend. Not many Yeerks could order the Visser around. This Yeerk, however, was the representative of the Council of Thirteen.

The representative was the only other person in the room, even if he hadn't, he would have stood out. The most common host were the Hork Bajir, followed by the Taxxons. I hadn't seen any Mak in a while, most of them had been shipped to the few planets the Yeerk had under their control to be put to work. While Taxxons were excellent at digging through dirt and stone, from what I'd seen, Mak worked just as well, are more durable, and were easier to control...

The representative, however, was in a Nahara host. The Nahara were the very first species taken by the Yeerks. By the time we had become aware of it, the entire species had been taken. The Nahara were large insect-like creatures with long, pale, bodies with six legs. The only color on its body was in its eyes, which changed colors depending on its emotions, at the time this one's eyes were a bright blue. The Nahara were not popular hosts. They had very short life spans, even shorter than the Hork Bajir, on top of their extremely small numbers.

The Representative stared at the Hork Bajir in the next room. "I see you've finally decided to join us, Esplin 9466." His tone seemed pleasant enough, though I had been around these creatures long enough to hear the mocking edge to his voice.

The Visser did his best to keep himself in check, though I could feel his annoyance at being spoken down to. {I had some work to attend to.}

"Ah, I see. I'm sure the council will be pleased to hear you are taking your duties as Visser seriously." The representative didn't look at us. "These executions are becoming more and more common."

{I've noticed. What was his crime?} The Visser asked, disinterested.

"Sympathizing with his host."

What?

{I have heard these cases are becoming a problem...} The Visser relented.

"Yes. If this trend continues, drastic measures may be necessary."

Yeerks sympathizing with their hosts was becoming a problem? What did that mean? 'Becoming more common'? This was happening often? I had never heard anything about that before. Was it actually possible that some of these... Yeerks... were somehow developing a conscience? That they actually felt remorse over stealing and destroying the lives of other beings?

I didn't believe it, not for a moment, not after what I had seen and experienced firsthand. But still, if they believed it was a problem, perhaps it would be worth it to take note of.

{Is that why I'm here?} The Visser asked. {'Drastic measures'?}

The Representative laughed, softly. "You could say that..." He turned his host's head to face us. "What do you think is the cause?"

{How could I possibly know?} Despite the Visser's attempts to keep my voice calm and respectful, annoyance and contempt seeped through. He didn't like being talked down to. Not now that he was the great Visser Three... the one and only Yeerk to...

The representative was unperturbed by the Visser's obvious disdain. "It was mostly a rhetorical question. In the end, it doesn't matter what you, or I, think. All that matters is what the council believes to be causing this problem and any possible solutions."

{And what does the council believe?}

He paused and seemed to contemplate what to say... "On behalf of the council, I've been looking into your history." He said at last. "You were born in an artificial pool, after the war had begun, so you wouldn't know how quickly we, as a species, have changed. It's been less than a decade since this war began. We escaped our home world, out from under the Andalites and into a world of new possibilities. New technology, new hosts... you would hardly recognize our people anymore, if you were there in the beginning, like I was."

The Visser said nothing, he only stared at the representative with my main eyes while my stalk eyes went back to stare at the Hork Bajir in the other room. He'd begun to twitch and spasm his mouth gaped open. I couldn't hear it, so I couldn't tell if it was gasping for breath or screaming.

"Back then, we had no need for experts in sciences or warfare or... Andalites." The representative paused giving a knowing look to us. I felt a twinge of dread begin to grow inside my head, from the Yeerk. "Of course, there is a need for them now, however, some on the council believe that this dedication to such new ideas may inspire... dissension. Rather than being dedicated to the betterment of our species, these traitors are more interested in 'host rights'." The representative laughed darkly, as if he had just heard a bad joke. "They would have us surrender to the Andalites. If they had their way, they would have us walk to our deaths."

{I see...} The Visser asked, his toned changed to something more... respectful.

"Our strengths lie in our unity, Esplin 9466. If we want to survive this war we can't have the selfish, deluded actions of a few certain individuals poison everyone else. As a loyal servant to the Empire and the Council of Thirteen, naturally, you will agree."

{Of course.} The Visser agreed, carefully masking the unease that he could hide from everyone but me.

"The council has decided that an example will have to be made."

The two were silent for several minutes. {What kind of example?}

He said nothing, but looked to us. "You know... you were considered a complete fool."

That sudden insult caught the Visser off-guard, so much so my tail twitched ever so slightly. {What?}

"You dedicated yourself to knowing the Andalites, understanding them. Their tactics, their culture, their strengths and weaknesses... while it got you far, many knew of the foolish little Andalite-lover." I felt a flush of embarrassment and anger as the representative mocked the Visser, but he said nothing. "And now that you have an Andalite as your host... everyone knows who you are. And if they didn't, well, your amazing new promotion saw to that didn't it? Yes, indeed. I doubt there's a Yeerk out there who doesn't know of you, Esplin 9466."

With every word I felt the Visser's dread grow, he turned to face the screaming Hork Bajir on the other side of the glass. There was no mistaking the fact that he was screaming now. His eyes bulged and spittle dripped from his open mouth. For a moment, I imagined myself in that room. I imagined the Visser's pain as I was bound and imagined him screaming through me. I knew he was imagining the same.

{Are you here to inform me of my execution?} He asked, sounding surprisingly calm.

"No. Not yet." He turned to look at the Hork Bajir in the other room. "But if this continues... someone will have to be made an example of. Someone powerful. Someone who everyone knows. We'll have a public execution, to show everyone what happens to traitors."

{I am no traitor.} The Visser snapped.

"I know that, and the council knows that too. But you're also a perfect example of how our society has changed." He paused as the Hork Bajir slumped in his restraints. "Some in the council like you though, so I've been asked to give you fair warning. Someone is going share this Yeerks fate. Make sure it isn't you."

That's when I saw it. A Yeerk crawl out of its host's ear. It was so small; it was hard to imagine so much evil could be wrought from such a thing. That something that small and seemingly harmless was inside my own head, wrapped around my brain, forcing me to commit such atrocities as murdering my own people and the enslaving innocent races that never did me any harm.

As the Yeerk fell to the floor I began to wonder if what the representative said was true, if he had wished things would be different. But as its body withered away into nothing... I supposed it didn't matter anymore...

The representative left us in silence and the Visser simply stared at the spot where the Yeerk had been. He was masking his fear now, but I could still feel the turbulent emotions raging inside him. It was strange how something so alien had become a normal occurrence. His emotions, bleeding into mine. It made me wonder if it was the same for him. I doubted it.

The Hork Bajir was dragged away and I briefly wondered what might happen to it…

Perhaps it would be assigned another Yeerk, perhaps it would be destroyed. The latter would be more of a mercy, though it seemed unlikely, as the Yeerks really didn't have the bodies to waste.

Even if it was me in there and the Visser starved out, I would just be given to some other Yeerk. The thought made me sick.

I wasn't sure how long the Visser stood there, it was a while though. I almost had the urge to call out to him, but that would have meant willingly conversing with that filthy creature and I would have none of that. I wasn't _that _desperate for conversation yet. If you could call screaming at a Yeerk 'conversation'.

He did leave, eventually, and returned to the Blade Ship. His personal guard waiting for him.

{Any word from the Andalite?} He asked.

His brother responded. "No, not yet."

The Visser glared into space for a moment. {Very well.}

As we entered the Blade Ship, Esplin came closer to us. "I don't think this is a good idea."

{What?}

He frowned. "Trusting an Andalite."

{What makes you think I trust him?} The Visser questioned, harshly. {You think I'm so easily fooled?}

Everyone seemed surprised by his outburst. Even his brother took a step back. "No, of course not."

{You think I'd actually trust an Andalite? I'm using him! You think I'm so gullible? That I'm a fool!?} He raved.

"That's not what I meant."

The Visser paused for a moment, then cursed to himself. {Never mind.}

With that the Visser left them all behind, and returned to his personal quarters.

* * *

**Just so everybody knows, I didn't come up with the design for the Nahara. That was Ifi from this website, cinnamonbunzuh. blogspot .com  
**

**It's a great website for Animorphs fans, go check it out!**


	16. Chapter 16

_**Ardan**_

I had never held a shredder before, I was fairly certain none of us had. I had seen them before, plenty of times. Most of the soldiers carry them and even my father had one. But I had never held one, never fired one. Today, we were being taught how to shoot.

Warrior Jassal was in charge of our training. {The first thing to know about shredders is not to be afraid of them. They are just a tool. That said, understand that I said tool _not_ a toy.} The Officer gave us an accusatory glare, as if he expected the worst from us. {You will be shooting the targets, and _only_ the targets, These shredders are on their lowest setting. You are _not_ to change the setting under any circumstances. That we will save for another day.} He motioned to us at the younger officer with his stalk eye.

They handed them out a few at a time. We were ordered to shoot at the targets until we hit it. These first targets were white, and round, about the size of a head. They floated several feet above the ground, each about thirty feet away from us. Around the area was a force field that would keep any stray shots from hitting anyone or anything that might have caused a problem. No one hit the target on their first try. So far the closest anyone got was four shots to successfully hit the target, at worst it was eleven.

Finally, it was my turn. For a moment, I just stared at the shredder. It was heavy, I knew it would be, but holding it was still a surprise. It's surface was smooth and designed, naturally, for Andalite hands. Even so, holding it somehow felt... wrong.

I lifted the shredder and pointed it at the target. I tried to line up the shredder with the target, part of me hoping I would hit it on the first try, but I missed it completely and the stray shot fizzled on the force field. I tried again only to miss again. I didn't successfully hit the target until the eighth shot. It wasn't the worst, but it wasn't good. I kept telling myself it was only my first time and that I would improve, but it didn't make me feel any better.

After the initial shots were fired we were split into smaller groups. We shot at moving targets, larger targets, smaller targets, several targets all at once in various different sizes. The officers made it clear that if we were in a real battle, we would all be dead by now.

Jassal told us to take a moment to rest before we practiced tail-fighting. I took this time to examine the other Arisths. I didn't know any of them, which was a great relief. Some were gloating over how well they done with shredders others were complaining about Jassal, saying he was... well... something you don't call your superiors.

I tried not to laugh, only partially succeeding.

That's when one of the others screamed. He spotted them before the rest of us.

They stood over seven feet tall with a sharp beak and claws, huge blades protruding from their heads, their arms and knees and tails. It was a group of Hork Bajir.

Everyone was frightened. Some jerked and backed away while others prepared their trembling tails to fight this massive creature. My mind screamed for me to run, but my legs did not move. I stared, wide eyed, at it. I'd never seen one before, not in person. The pictures did not do this monster justice.

{Arisths! Is this any way for soldiers to behave!?} Behind the Hork Bajir was Jassal who, despite his harsh tone, seemed to be enjoying himself. He motioned to one, especially large, Hork Bajir with a large scar on it's chest. {This is Tol Rashal and he will be in charge of your tail-fighting drills.}

{But...} One of the Arisths started to say before stopping as Jassal stared at him.

{What was that?}

The Aristh fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment, before continuing. {But, sir, he's a Hork Bajir.}

{That's correct. And who exactly do you think you will be fighting out there?} He motioned to the Hork Bajir. {These are refugees and they have offered their services to us and I expect you to treat them all with the same respect you would offer a Warrior.}

I had to admit, I was skeptical. They were Hork Bajir. True, we would be fighting them out in the field and maybe using them for practicing made sense, but putting one in charge of our training? If I remembered right Hork Bajir were, well, stupid. They barely had the intelligence of an infant. I had never heard of anything like this happening before. Ever.

I couldn't help but notice the skeptical looks, not only from my fellow Arisths, but even some of the other adults in the room. The only one completely at ease seemed to be Warrior Jassal himself.

{I expect you can take it from here?} Jassal asked.

The Hork Bajir named Tol Rashal nodded. "Yes, I believe so."

That was strange. He didn't sound unintelligent.

That's when I started thinking about it. They were refugees, right? So, did that mean they had escaped from the Yeerks? Was there some way to do that? I stared long and hard at the Hork Bajir, as if the secret was there and all I had to do was find it...

I think he noticed me staring because he pointed his large, clawed hand at me. "You. Come here."

Hearts pounding, I came closer. {Yes, uh, sir?}

"I am going to show you how to deflect my blades, do you understand?"

{Yes.} I replied meekly.

Carefully, he lifted his hands and took a swing at me. It was clear he had no real intention of hitting me but I whipped my tail at smacked his claws away, a little too quickly. I felt a little foolish, but more then that I was... not scared, but intimidated. He did it slowly, at first, but slowly increased speed and started swiping at me with both arms. I was much faster then he was, but I only had my tail so keeping up the pace was extremely difficult. I managed to do it though. Mostly because he was going easy on me.

"Good." He said nodding his head, then turned to the others. "Most Yeerks controlling Hork Bajir are usually just wildly swinging their blades. It shouldn't be too difficult for you to take on a single Hork Bajir controller, however, you will rarely fight them one at a time. If you should find yourself faced with several Hork Bajir alone, the best thing to do is make a tactical retreat. Also, when dealing with a Hork Bajir controller, it's best to dispatch them as quickly as possible."

I was shocked. He spoke about killing them so... casually. He was a Hork Bajir, they were his people. I wondered how he did it.

We spent the next several hours learning everything we could about fighting Hork Bajir. They were very dangerous enemies, not only because of their blades, but because of their amazing healing ability. The best way to kill a Hork Bajir was to go for it's throat, or head. Severing a head, obviously, meant instant death, slitting a Hork Bajir's throat was also effective but not always fatal depending on how deep the wound. We also learned the ranges of a Hork Bajir's blades, how best to avoid them and move without getting cut.

One at a time we would approach a Hork Bajir and they would take a few swings at us and we would use our blades to deflect them. They went easy on us, today, but I had the feeling it wouldn't stay that way for very long...

{I think that's about enough for now.} Jassal said as he came forward. {Thank you, Tol.}

Tol Rashal nodded and motioned to the other Hork Bajir who followed him.

{That will be all for now. Eat and get some rest, Arisths. Today was just the basics, real training starts tomorrow.} And with that we were dismissed.

I decided to go to the dome to eat and relax, but it was hard to do when everything hurt. My hands were cramping, Andalites rarely used our hands for anything and I wasn't used to it at all. And my tail was still sore from sparing with the Hork Bajir, and it wasn't even a serious fight!

I wonder if my father felt as sore and tired as I am now back when he was an Aristh, even if the training wasn't the same.

I wasn't the only person there, obviously. Older officers and other Arisths were exploring the grass and enjoying themselves. A little reluctantly, I tried the grass... but it was good. I had been a little worried about it. I went to the stream to drink and noticed a group of Arisths standing close by. I thought about introducing myself, but I couldn't make up my mind about it. I pretended to wander around to get a little closer, so I could hear their conversation and decide whether or not so joining them.

{-ly unbelievable. It's a complete disgrace.}

One of the Arisths thought-speak was especially loud and angry, it made me hesitate. I stayed close to the stream, straining to listen.

{Hork Bajir! They have Hork Bajir on a Dome Ship!} One hissed kicking the ground with his hoof.

Another scoffed. {What self respecting Andalite would allow this?}

{Wait, look!}

They stopped and I peaked with one stalk-eye. The Hork Bajir had just entered the Dome and were heading for the trees... that's right, they eat bark. That's what their blades were originally for. They evolved for scraping bark from wood in order to eat.

I stared at the Hork Bajir named Tol Rashal... he was smart. He wasn't like the other Hork Bajir. I was sure that it was because of him that these Hork Bajir had managed to escape the Yeerks. How did he do it? I had to know.

I needed to know.

That's why I went after him, ignoring the looks from the other Arisths.

{Excuse me.} I called out to him.

He stopped and turned around. "What is it Aristh?" His voice sounded weary, so much so I almost turned back.

{I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but I...} My mind went blank. I stood there for several seconds, trying to find the proper words.

"What do you want?" He asked, a little more forcefully.

{I wanted to ask you about... about...}

One of the other Hork Bajir came closer to him. "Tol, you come and eat?"

He looked to the other Hork Bajir, then to me. "I suppose so, if you have nothing more to say."

He started to walk away and I felt a surge of desperation. {I wanted to ask you how you escaped the yeerks!}

He stopped, then turned around to face me again."What does that matter to you?" He asked, coldly.

{I...}

"...name."

{What?}

"Your name, Aristh. What's your name?"

{Ard- I mean... I'm Aristh Ardan-Semitur-Solon.}

I saw something in his face, his eyes. He knew my name, somehow, he knew. I wasn't sure how to feel about that. "I see..." He ushered away the other Hork Bajir. "Follow me, Aristh Ardan."

I did as I was told, following him around the outer rim of the dome. He was silent for a long time but I made no effort speak and simply waited

"You've no doubt noticed that I'm not like other Hork Bajir. My people would call me a Seer. My intelligence is simply due to a genetic defect. It's extremely rare. Usually when a Seer is detected they are taken and put under even more extreme surveillance and are raised for high ranking Yeerks."

{Did that happen to you?}

"No. For a long time I pretended that I was not different."

{You hid it from them? But how? I thought it was impossible.}

"If you are infested, yes, it is impossible. But I was just a child, not fully grown yet, thus useless as a host. I was warned that I had to hide my intelligence and also that, if I wanted to avoid the fate of those like me, I needed to find some way to escape before they inevitably found the truth.."

{Someone warned you? Who?}

He sighed. "Some Hork Bajir... to be honest, I don't really remember. I was very young at the time. It could have been anyone."

{So... what happened?}

"I did as I was told. I hid it from the Yeerks. I bid my time. They kept us fed and focused on training our bodies to be healthy, they thought we were all just dumb animals." He paused I could hear the hatred in his voice. "It was that arrogance that allowed me time to come up with a plan, dispatch the guards, and steal away from the facility." He shook his head. "But I hadn't thought it completely through. If it weren't for a Desbadeen captain taking pity on us we would have been captured again."

I stared at him, expecting more...

Was that it? That's all he had to say? {So... what you're saying...}

"My escape was due to Yeerk incompetence. They underestimated us and suffered the consequences... however meager those turned out to be..."

I felt my spirits plummet. I wasn't sure what I had been expecting. I felt like a fool. As if this Hork Bajir would have some magic secret that I could use against the Yeerks. I was stupid. I was so stupid. I stopped following him staring down at the dirt.

"I'm sorry." Tol Rashal had stopped and turned to face me. "I know that's not what you were hoping for, but that's exactly why you needed to hear it."

{Hear what?}

"The best thing anyone can do for your father is kill him, because he will _never_ be free."

{You don't know what you're talking about! You're just-} I caught the words before I said them and I fought the urge to scream.

He was just a Hork Bajir. What did HE know about anything! He didn't know me OR my father! He didn't know anything! I didn't care who he was or what he was or what the officers thought of him!

I ran the other way.


End file.
